PHS Class of 2012 in the Trinity Wilderness Area

Hey blog readers,

We are writing this on our last day of our fantastic 8^th grade trip. Today we had lots doing community service, hiking and swimming! We hiked up to a beautiful water hole. This trip has been way more fun and better than I (Annie) expected. I took some big risks on the trip that I never thought I would take. Such as jumping off my raft and being so cold. I also had lots of fun jumping off the big raft. Today when went swimming the water was extremely and I (Averie) was so freezing I couldn’t even scream. However Todd is currently telling me that I was shrieking, “I am dead, I am dead” so I guess I did scream! Now we have just had dinner and are preparing for our evening activities! We are planning to do some square dancing and see some awesome performances. We are also going to do our appreciation circle, which has been very anticipated! Can’t wait!

~ Annie and Averie

 GUESS WHAT?! I’m blogging. If you’re related to me, you can understand how amazing this is. Knowing me, I’d leave it off till the very last day, because that’s just how I roll.

Alright, highlights of the trip? Everything. Everything has been amazing. I honestly didn’t know it’d be this fun. Because, to be blunt, going on a camping trip with all the 8^th graders in your grade doesn’t seen too awesome. But it so is. Everyone it pumped up to do whatever the day might bring them, especially the challenging things.

One of our first adventures was a night hike through the woods. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve done in my life. My senses were up, I was alert, and almost everything was being processed in my mind; The river, the sounds of animals, each footstep on the path. But then Yennae scared me so bad when she turned her flashlight on in front of me. Oh, and I was also thinking about zombies partway through the walk, so that kinda freaked me out as well. But that doesn’t matter, because it was so brilliant.

Alright, the canoeing was cool, but it was raining, which was kinda a bummer, but in a way it made the experience a bit funner. Who doesn’t like being in the middle of a river when it’s raining? No one? Well, ok, maybe it’s just me. But it was great, and what made it even better was that Todd’s canoe tipped over. Hilarious. HILARIOUS. Although we were freezing, absolutely freezing, like, so cold that when we got out of the canoe, out legs were basically stiff jelly, I’m sure we a had a blast.

Then there was the rafting trip, can I just say that all the water in California is terribly cold? I don’t care what you say, none of these beaches are warm. The water was so cold on the rafting trip when I dragged Johnny and Eleanor out of the boats and into the water, I literally stopped breathing for a second.  Then I had to be dragged back into the boat. Does anyone else realize how fun it is to yank someone out of a boat? Because it’s super funny.

In other words, this trip has been the best. These people are some of my favorite in the world. Especially in car rides. Because then they’re all super loud and crazy like me. Yup. That’s the end of my blog. BYE!!!

~ Isabella Gagliardo

HEY HEY HEY everyone!!! What is up? How are you guys? Long time no see, family! Okay so anyways I don’t have that much time so I am just going to tell you what we did today! Today, we did community service in Weaverville. My favorite part of it was painting the chicken coop and petting the chickens. After that we went to a swimming hole in the Trinity wilderness area. The water was the coldest water I have ever been in! For the longest time, I was sitting right outside the water with only my feet in. After about two minutes I couldn’t feel my feet anymore. Finally, I went in the water and it was so fun. It was so fun watching all of my friends jump off huge rocks. When we came home (the resort we were staying in), we had down time to spend with our whole grade and played basketball, volleyball, and walked around the resort. Next, we continued with our performance nights and were taught salsa dancing by Chelsea and Gabriela. Then we had an appreciation circle. It was so sad and happy all at the same time listening to everyone’s appreciating speeches. I started crying because I just realized that I am not going to be around all of these wonderful and beautiful people anymore. People comforted me including Stella Gabriela and Helen. I love everyone so much and it will never ever be the same without them.

~ Yennae Bekele

PS: I lost my voice so I’m hoping it gets better.

      Stella and Gaby are the best ever ;) (-Stella and Gaby)

Today was one of those memorable days that we will never forget. At first I was literally sleep walking everywhere. I’m kinda being kicked off her basically it was really fun. I love all of these people so much. I doubt my mom is reading this. We did community service today and had hot dogs. Shiva likes pie.  It was really good. Then we went on a really long hike that was like 100000000 miles long. And Andre almost fell off of the cliff. HEY! So I HAVE A JOKE! Ask me why my feet have cuts on them?! Person asks, "why I have cuts on my feet?" CUZ I HIT ROCK BOTTOM!!! Hahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahhaha! that was really funny becuase ewhen I jumped I actually hit ROCK bottom. Hahahah. Anyway and so we played some stuff, and then we had some salsa classes that was really fun. Anyway Todd is just about to shut down the comp. GOOOOOODDD BYEEE!!! <3

~ Gaby

PHS' Day of Giving Back to the Community

White Water Rafting Down the Trinity with Bigfoot Rafting Company

Dear Blog,

Today we went down to The Bigfoot Rafting Company. We went down to the main site to get our life jackets and helmets. Then we drove in the big, white and sketchy vans to the river. When we got there one of the instructors named Erin, taught us all the instructions and he described them really funny. We got in the water and I was freaking out. Every time we would go sideways or backwards I would always complain because I couldn’t see and I was freaking out. After we went on some rapids I wasn’t as scared as I was before. It was an amazing view with all the tree’s there and the water was so nice! And I had so much fun. I was soaking wet when I go out after so that was bad but overall it was so much FUN!!!!!! HI MOMMY, HI DADDY!!!!!!!!

Hey Girl Hey,

So just a quick note to my family am I am so sorry that I have not been blogging, please do not worry I am very much alive. So today we went white water rafting and it was extremely fun! I was put in a boat with Todd so I basically thought I was going to die! The water was so cold! Everyone was jumping everywhere and leaping onto boats and I was basically just chilling in the back with Todd who was piercing my ears with his screams. Now we are journaling and I am drinking a nice peppermint tea. I can’t believe that this trip is almost over; it has gone by so fast! I can’t wait to go to sleep tonight and be all warm and cozy and have a great day tomorrow. Having a blast!

~ Averie

From Angeles Preserve and Trinity Alps

Yo WaT iS uP pEoPlE!

Well today, we went white water rafting. :D super awesome and cold. I got hit in the face with a paddle, (mom I’m FINE. I just have a miner black eye.) and I got revenge by dumping the person head over heals out of the boat. We went on a class 3 rapid and hit a wave that was at least 6 feet tall. It was super fun and Todd was the craziest person. I also beat James at capture the flag. He and 3 other people ganged up on me and I had to run through poison oak to claim my victory. So I did it. Best trip ever!

~  Camille

From June 4, 2012

Yesterday we went white water rafting and hiking.  The trip was amazing because during the time we were in the rafts we went over some pretty big waves.  Also my boat mates pushed me off the boat because I hadn’t been in the water at all yet.  When I was in the water it was freezing at first but then it was warm because after a while when your in the water your body adjusts to the temperature.  Over all I have to say that the whole trip has been extremely fun. :)

~ Paolo

Day 3 On the Road!

This trip so far has been so much fun. But, the car ride from Mendocino to the Trinity Alps was somewhat fun and really boring. My car group was the best and we were all singing along to every song especially One Direction. Kate’s driving was also really funny because she would speed up and stop all of the sudden because of a turn. Other than that I got to sleep last night out side on our cabin balcony and hear the river run beside us.

~ Justin

I think that this is one of the best trips that I have ever been on and it with my class! So far it has been amazing. We have basically no down time we do something awesome everyday. Today is white water rafting and I’m so excited! I slept on the balcony last night and it was freezing! Hopefully I will be inside tonight. Yesterday was really hard. We were in a car all day listening to the same music in the same seats. Today will defiantly be a lot better but it has been amazing so far!

~ Khan

I’m having a great time out here. We went hiking and had fun time. I can’t wait for white water rafting today, it is going to be fun. Just Can’t wait for rafting

­~ André

I am having a really fun time! Yesterday we drove from Mendocino to trinity surprisingly the drive did not feel like 6 hours. It did get a bit annoying listening to the same song about 20,0000 times in a row but in the last 5 minuets of the drive every one was singing and dancing including James. Trinity is heaven there food is really good and the cabins are big enough for the entire school to stay in. I am really exited for the rafting today and hoping not to freeze my toes off. Hi Mom!

~ Gen

Exploring the tide pools and paddling Big River were exceptionally rewarding. The tide was just low enough that we were able hike along the base of ocean cliffs and make our way into several caves. These caves are completely submerged at high tide. There was a remarkable variety of life in the pools within each cave. The colors of luminous greens, vivid pinks and oranges, and purples make stumbling over the rocky shore worth the pain. On the river we had the pleasure of meeting up with well feed sea lions, observing otters busy hunting lunch, and catching glimpses of cormorants and turns gliding with ease over the river’s glassy surface. I have to confess the fish jumping out of the river and nipping at my swimming trunks sort of freaked me out.

~ Todd

Mendocino Woodlands

June 4, 2012

Today, we woke up at 6:50am. The excruciating pain of waking up early. But it was all worth it. We ate breakfast quickly so that we could arrive at the tide pool caves as quickly as possible so that we wouldn’t miss the tide. When we got out of the car it was freezing. The whole day so far it had been raining. And yet we could still enjoy the scenery. After the tide pool caves we went to a place called “Catch a Canoe”. Todd had told us that we weren’t going to get too wet except for the rain that was pouring on us. He was COMPLETELY wrong. James had pointed out that we could not splash each other until the end of the canoeing. But Todd being Todd, he was the one who started the splashing. After that everyone had joined in the fight. At some point the canoe started filling up with water from the splashing. Then James’s canoe caught up to us and passed us. While we were trying to catch up Shannon went into the water and Justin came on to Todd’s side of the boat. Suddenly Todd’s side of the boat started to sink and Justin ran to the other side to try to balance us but it was too late. Todd was already in the water and his part of the canoe under water. After that the part of the canoe we were in lifted up and we were in the air, we jumped off and watched our canoe sink with all of our stuff. I was like the Titanic!!  After that the other boats came to the rescue and brought us to shore. We were all soaked and cold. Then we lifted our boat right side up and started taking all the water out. Eventually we were able to go back in. But, it was such a cold, rainy, and windy ride back. In all at least we got some hot chocolate at the end and got to sing along to our favorite music by One Direction on the car ride back.

~ Gaby & Justin

The first two days were amazing.  We went on two hikes, went to the beach, and gone on canoes.  I love this trip and not knowing what is coming next.

~ Johnny

Today is my birthday!! Yesterday Shannon and I arrived later on in the afternoon after we had to make a bit of a detour to get here! This morning we had to wake up early and make breakfast! Then we went on a walk on the beach and walked in the freezing cold water. That was a fun experience. Then after hot chocolate we went to the Big River that goes through Mendocino. It was raining really hard and we where freezing but it was so much fun! One canoe tipped over and a few kids took a bit of a swim! Now after showering we are hanging out in the dinning hall and just having fun! This has turned out to be an amazing birthday!

~ Stella

                                                                                                           

Today was a water filled day of fun, we went tide pooling and out-rigger canoeing. When we were tide pooling we saw lots of sea life. While we were canoeing one of the boats flipped, I called it (only our school could manage to flip an out-rigger). Btw moms, I found my ipod.

~ Elias

Today was a crazy and exciting day for me. My cooking team had to wake up earlier then the rest of the teams because we were making breakfast. We had to eat breakfast very quickly so that we could go to the tide pool caves to watch the tide.  When we got to the tide pool caves we went down this slippery hill, and all the girls were really cold because we were wearing shorts. After when we started walking it was very slippery, I had probably slipped 10 times and every time I did slip you would hear me scream. When we were walking Gaby was right in front of me and I slipped, luckily she put her hand out and I grabbed it.  I said to Gaby “ I almost died”.  Later that day we went in canoes.  So after a while being in the canoe, we started racing with another group. We were head for a while. Soon later the other group had past us, so we started going really fast to beat them. After a while we had stopped trying to catch up.  So we were sitting there and Shannon is sitting in the middle of this arch that separates the two boats.  So Shannon says, “ I wish we had a motor boat” so she lies on the arch and puts her feet out to start kicking. Justin thought that Shannon was falling of so he tries to get her up and he is also sitting on the arch. Then we see Todd and he is saying, “ the boat is sinking!!!!!” the next thing we know were in the FREEZING water and the boat is flipped over!! Shannon, Gabby and I were laughing so much, I had said “ 8^th grade memories” while I was still in the FREEZING water. It was very funny!!!! I would do it all over again if I could.

~ Chelsea

This trip has already started as an adventure. Given the past two days, who knows what will happen next! We arrived and went on a long hike to BIG TREE and it was pretty and then came back and had a great dinner! We went to bed and woke up at 6:30. We had breakfast and left at around 8. We went to the tide pools and caves and it was so cool! I touched so many weird things in the pools and I tried touching a big anemone, and it started squirting water at me! I thought it was poison at first and started screaming! Then we went straight to the canoes at the big river that goes through Mendocino. This trip was definitely more exciting than expected. First of all, it started raining the second we got on the boats and it was windy and cold the whole time. One boat (of course our class was the first that this happened to) capsized and broke their rudder, and we had to go help them flip their boat and bail. The trip back was against the current, twice as cold, and it felt like 10 times longer. When I got off the boat I literally couldn’t feel my feet and I couldn’t walk because my knees were clenched and numb. It was solo nice to get into the warm car, and come back and shower, even though my water did turn cold and stayed that way. Now we are all hanging out before dinner in the dining hall place, and its really fun. I’ve been playing guitar, singing, playing cards, chatting… etc. its really nice to have some down time. We’re having chili tonight. I hope its good! So the trip has definitely gotten to a good start, and I’m really excited for Trinity (especially because here we are sleeping in tents that leak and have no lights…)!

~ Helen

Shopping of any kind has always been my idea of torture. Sharing a morning of shopping with the class of 2012 at Fairfax’s Good Earth may have changed this for me. Students were so determined to shop and live sustainably! Their quibbling over purchases of foods with the absolute lowest food miles made the experience engaging and even stimulating. Teams had done their research, devised detailed budgets, and were eager to see how closely their budget projections came to actual in store costs! Students found local meats grown two miles from Fairfax and cheeses produced down the road in neighboring San Rafael California. It was a pleasure seeing these PHS students take on a significant level responsibility for their trip and do it with an infectious enthusiasm.

~ Todd            

Day One - Gathering Rations, Road Tripping North, Big Tree, Night Hiking!

The 8^th grade trip is finally here. It started off by our entire class taking The Good Earth health food grocery store by storm. We marched off in our cooking groups and bought enough food to feed a stampede of animals. We then take off for the long drive to Mendocino that was quite a fun time. Once we got to Mendocino we got to take a look of our cabins. What scared me the most was not the amount of spiders in our cabin, but by how big they were. You could basically carve meat off one of them. Once everyone settled in we went on a hike to a huge tree, then later at night we went on a night hike with our guides. Its early morning now and I didn’t get the best night of sleep… but based off what we have done so far I know this 8^th grade trip will be a blast.

~ Shiva

DAY ONE

The Sustainability Challenge – Good Earth, Road Tripping to Mendocino, Big Tree Hike, Night Hike!

DAY TWO

Tide Pools - Mendocino

Hope: My hope for our final 8th grade trip is that it will complete our year together. I hope to see lots of wildlife and am looking forward to white water rafting and canoeing and am really excited for this trip!

Fear: I don't think i really have a fear, my only fear would be that this brings the year to an end pretty fast, so i will enjoy it while it lasts!

~ Shiva

On the 8th grade trip, one thing that I am excited for is going canoeing
because it looks very fun and I have never tried it before. I am also excited
and a little bit nervous to go rafting because I don't know what the current
is going to be like but I am excited to see how it turns out.

~ Yennae

During this trip i believe that i will encounter many fears where i challenge myself. Right now my fears about the trip are that i will have so many unforgettable experiences that i definitly wont want to leave. Also, i know i will have in the moment fears where i doubt myself, but i hope that those fears wont take over me in my desicion making on this trip. 

Also, during this trip i am looking forward to many different things. For example, going white water river rafting with my whole class will definitley be an amazing memory that i will carry with me. 

~ Gaby

One hope that I want to happen on the 8th grade trip is to become closer with my classmates, try new things and have fun!!!! One fear that I have is the canoeing and river rafting, but I hope I'll enjoy it!!!

~ Sonia

My hopes and Fears. First hopes I hope have a great time with my classmates and have fun hiking and swimming. My fears I am worried about bears but if I see a bear that would be awesome, I would go up to to the bear and get a pic with it #yolo. Thats all I have. Can't wait.

~ André Campbell

My hope for this trip is that none of the people in 8th grade have to get sent home because if they do than everyone will have a worse time.  and no one wants that to happen on the trip.

My fear of the trip is that someone or all the people in the class might get homesick and that would not be fun because the more people on the trip there are the more fun it will be to be with others.

~ Paolo

My hope on this trp is to be able to experience something I've never done before. Also to be able to have one great memory from the trip that I can remember forever. A fear for this trip is not being able to do something I want to do. Also not having enough time to do do everything.

~ Justin

One thing I am excited about for the 8th grade trip is trying new things and supporting my classmates to do the same. I must admit that I don't very many concerns about the trip except that we might a little too much fun!

~ Averie


I am hoping to have a fun time with my friends and try new things on the trip. I am worried a raccoon or bugs may get into my cabin.

~ Annie

Hope: I hope that the 8th grade trip will be amazing and look as fun as the pictures.

I hope that I will have enough sleep on the whole trip.

~ Kahn Devlin

                                                .-~~~-,
                                               (       )
                                             (         )
                        -^x^-               (          )
                      /~     ~\           (           )
                     |         |         (           )
                     |         |        (           )
                     |     __ _,       (~~~~-(     )
                    /\/\  (. ).)       `_'_', (   )
                     C       __)       (.( .)-(  )
                     |   /~~~  \      (_      ( )
                     /   \ ~===='    /_____/` D)
                   /`-_   `---'         \     |
              .__|~-/^\-~|_/_   |^^^^^^^||    |
             __.         ||/.\  |       |OooooO
             \           ---. \ |       |      \ _
            _-    ,`_'_'  .~\  \|__   __|-____  / )
           <     -(. ).)   > \  ( .\ (. )     \(_/ )
            ~-       _) \_- ooo @  (_)  @      \(_//.
           / /_C (-.____)  /((O)/       \     ._/\~_.
          /   |_\     /   / /\\\\`-----''    _|>o<  |__
          |     \ooooO   (  \ \\ \\___/     \ `_'_',  /
           \     \__-|    \  `)\\-^\\ ^--.  /_(.(.)- _\
            \   \ )  |-`--.`--=\-\ /-//_  '  ( c     D\
             \_\_)   |-___/   / \ V /.~ \/\\\ (@)___/ ~|
            /        |       /   | |.  /`\\_/\/   /   /
           /         |      (   C`-'` /  |  \/   (/  /
          /_________-        \  `C__-~   |  /    (/ /
               | | |          \__________|  \     (/